1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming system.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, in an image forming apparatus such as a printer or the like, a power saving function to reduce electric power consumption has been installed in consideration of an environment or the like. According to the image forming apparatus having the power saving function, when a preset time passes, in a state where no operation is executed by the user or in a state where there is no reception data from an upper apparatus, a part or all of power sources in the image forming apparatus is shut off, thereby saving power. The image forming apparatus having the power saving function has: a power saving mode for shutting the power sources of a heater, a motor, a fan, and the like of a printing unit; and an operating mode such as a standby mode or the like for further shutting off the power sources except for those of parts of the circuits which are used for communication between an operation unit and the upper apparatus.
In an image forming system constructed by connecting image forming apparatuses such as printer, hybrid apparatus, and the like to a network, information managing means for transferring charge information, failure information, use situation information, and the like of the image forming apparatus to a server for an administrator via the network is provided. Thus, the system for managing a plurality of image forming apparatuses by the server for the administrator is constructed (for example, refer to JP-A-10-74132).
In this case, the information managing means is built in the image forming apparatus. In the image forming apparatuses such as printer, hybrid apparatus, and the like connected to the network, the information managing means is used in common by a control unit for receiving, analyzing, and developing information transmitted from the upper apparatus. The information managing means is means for transferring management information held in the image forming apparatus in accordance with collation which is made by the server for the administrator. The management information changes when the user uses the image forming apparatus by operating a personal computer or the like connected to the network. Therefore, in the image forming system in which the image forming apparatus and the server for the administrator are combined, the server for the administrator needs to collate the image forming apparatus at every predetermined interval of time in order to always hold the latest management information.
However, in the conventional image forming system, in spite of the fact that the power sources other than the partial circuit which is used for the communication between the operation unit of the image forming apparatus and the host are shut off when the operating mode of the image forming apparatus having the power saving function is shifted to the standby mode, each time the collation of the management information from the server for the administrator is received, the image forming apparatus is reactivated.
Generally, when the image forming apparatus enters the power saving mode and the operating mode is shifted to the standby mode, the management information does not change. Therefore, it is unnecessary to periodically collate the management information. In spite of such a fact, by collating the management information, the image forming apparatus is reactivated every collation, so that the electric power consumption cannot be sufficiently reduced.